Cherimon
by BlueLightReflections
Summary: A shameless Cherimon
1. Lips

**Ok so this is my first Cherimon story. I've kept it cute to this one, because I'm not sure how many Cherimon fans like the more intense stories. Leave comments about what else you'd like to read them doing. **

**Enjoy :)**

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My eyes sting from editing all day so I decide to take a quick break and fetch something from the kitchen. I creep through the hall so I won't disturb Alex and his guest. He brings so many girls to the loft. As I pass his closed door I hear muffled giggles and I can't help but wonder what they're doing...

I push some perverted thoughts out of my mind and as I shuffle to the kitchen cabinets I focus more on what I should make. I don't have much of an appetite, though, so I just start boiling the water for some tea. As I click on the stove I hear the front door click closed. Finally, I think to myself, the girl is gone.

"Hey, Charlie," Alex sidles up beside me, leaning on the countertop, watching me pour some tea. He gets really close to my ear and mumbles, "can I have a cup too?"  
"Sure," I pull out a mug for him and pour him a cup. He's acting a bit giddy, probably because of his visitor. Looking up as I hand him a mug I notice bright red lipstick around kiss swollen lips. He takes a sip of tea and a perfect print comes off onto the ceramic. "You, uhh," I hint awkwardly, waving a finger around his mouth.  
"Oh," he realizes what I mean, blushing a little. Clumsily Alex rubs at his face, completely missing the stained skin.

"Stand still," I roll my eyes lovingly as I hold his face in one hand, using the other to gently rub the make up off of his surprisingly soft skin. I make sure to leave a bit on though; I mean, how often does one get to see Alex wearing make-up?

"Thanks, mate. Must have looked ridiculous." Alex walks over to the sofa in the living room.

"it kind of looked good," I say quietly to myself.

"Pardon?" Alex calls out from the sofa.

Shit. "Uhh, nothing. Um, so what did you and Sarah do?" I flop down beside him. He laughs, embarrassed. Oh, right. God, I'm an idiot.

"Not much. Watched Youtube videos, snogged for a bit. She's a great kisser. Have you ever been snogging with a girl and all of a sudden her tongue just-"

"No," I cut him off, my cheeks growing red.

"You don't even know what I was about to say," Alex seems a bit hurt. "How do you know you've never done it?"

"Because," I sip my scolding hot tea, stalling. "I've never really snogged with a girl." I look up, and Alex is looking straight at me, his eyes wide and... gorgeous. What was in this tea?

"Never?" Alex puts his tea on the table and tucks his knees in so that he's facing me at full attention. I shake my head. "What... What's it like?" I ask him tentatively.

"Well... it's pretty hard to describe..." Alex looks down at his hands.

"Ok fine. What else did you do? I mean... how do you get from watching videos to snogging? I've always wondered about that part. I'm sure you don't just go from one straight to the other." I couldn't believe I was finally asking this. I always wondered what Alex's moves were.

"Well, that's kind of hard to describe too."

I let out a little sigh of frustration. "Come on, we're best mates! Help me out a little here. I need to learn some moves, and who better to learn them from than the ladies man of YouTube?" That gets him. He laughs a little.

"Okay. So uhh.. First, we watch a video that gets her a bit in the mood. Just a bit because I don't want her to figure out what I'm actually trying to accomplish."

"What did you show her?" I Interrupt.

"Doesn't matter, does it?." Alex rushes on. "Anyway, so then she goes-"

"what was the video, Alex?"

He looks at me and says shyly, "Your video about tumblr weirdness. She's into all that, you know, slash stuff."

"Huh." I nod, sipping my tea, gesturing for him to continue.

"So anyway she gets a little in the mood and so I scootch up next to her. You know, this is really hard to describe. Why don't I just show you? It won't be weird, I'll just show you how I make my move."  
I agree maybe too quickly. There's definitely something in my tea. He scootches over so his leg is flush against mine. He puts his arm around my shoulder. I laugh nervously, sipping my tea. He gently takes the cup from my hand and places it on the table, leaving me with nothing to fiddle with. He pushes the hair from my face. "Your hair is so soft," Alex says.  
"Thanks,"  
"That's just what I usually say to the girl."  
"Oh."  
"But you hair actually is quite soft." Alex looks into my eyes for a moment too long for it not to mean anything. Then, "I rub her thigh a bit without breaking eye contact." I feel his hand rub my thigh slowly as I look into his eyes. "Then that's the moment I usually lean in for the kiss," instead of getting closer Alex leans back, taking his hand off of my thigh, leaving it cold, leaving me wanting more. God, his moves are good. "Does.. Does she ever go in for the kiss first?" I stutter nervously.  
"Hasn't happened yet."  
I take a deep breath. "But what if it did?" And I push Alex back into the cushions, one hand on his chest, my lips suddenly finding their way to his warm mouth. The new feeling is so odd but wonderful. I pull back, reading his face for his reaction. He doesn't say anything. I take a sip from my mug of tea and place it back on the table, careful not to look in his eyes. I think I freaked him out. I look down at the mugs on the coffee table, now both of them stained red from our lips. Then I feel his fingers gently turn my chin up to meet his face, and just before he pulls me in for a second kiss, he breathes, "I think I'd like it."


	2. Tom's Piccolo

_**Quick chapter here, because I plan on updating soon. please R&R! **_

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Alex's POV  
That night we fall asleep together on the couch, after hours of kissing, just exploring each other's bodies with our hands. We're both the type to take it slow, so we didn't get undressed or anything. Now we're awoken by the sound of the doorbell, which startles Charlie, and he struggles in my grasp. "Calm down, mate, it's just the door." I reassure him, nuzzling his neck softly. He smiles as his eyes register me, probably remembering last night.  
"Yeah, sorry. I just had a weird dream." He squeezes my arms before getting up swiftly from the couch, and makes his way to the door.  
"Hey, Charlie!" Tom exclaims as he steps through the doorway, adding,  
"how's it going, Alex?" when he sees me.  
"Swell, and you?"  
"Fantastic! Look what I just got," Tom pulls three cylindrical metal pieces from a pocket-sized case he has in his hands.

"What's that?" Charlie inquires, stepping around the couch to inspect the pieces in Tom's hands. Tom assembles the instrument and plays with the shiny keys. "It's a piccolo. Like a flute, but higher in pitch, because it's so small." It's a little larger than the size of his open hand, wrist to fingertips. Charlie reaches for it, tenderly touching the keys as Tom holds it steady. "I wrote a new song on it for you. Want to hear it?" I sit awkwardly on the couch, forgotten, as the spot that Charlie once filled grows cold. He casts me an apologetic glance which seems to say, 'Sorry  
Tom's gotten carried away again,' but it's ok. I understand my role here. "I'll just go take a shower," I offer them the couch as I walk away.


	3. Rejection of Tom's Piccolo

No extra comments about this one, except please rate and review! I want to know how you're liking it so far, and I'm open to suggestions. Enjoy!

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Charlie's POV

I hear the shower start as I sit down on the couch; Tom sits down next to me and begins to play. Even though he probably only learned how to play it this morning, the song seems flawless. Beautiful flowing notes pour from the open end of the piccolo. He finishes just as we hear the shower turn off. He looks down, shaking his head so that his shaggy blue hair covers his eyes just right.  
"That was amazing, as always," I say to him, and I mean it. Tom has always had a way of amazing me.  
"Yeah?" He looks up at me with round excited eyes. I nod, chuckling at his shyness.

Then he does something unexpected. "Your eyes are amazing, as always," Tom says as he runs a hand quickly through my hair, leaning in long enough to let his lips linger on mine.  
"Oh, Tom, I-" I start to stutter, pulling away, but then I notice Alex standing at the foot of the sofa, a towel wrapped around his lower half, and I lose all my breath.  
"You couldn't have chosen a cheesier line, Tom." The dripping boy says before padding away to his bedroom and shutting the door.  
"What's his problem?" Tom asks, confused.

I look at Tom sadly. "How long have you felt this way?" He doesn't answer, which is good enough to tell just how long. I explain carefully the situation between Alex and I, even giving a bit of detail about last night. He looks down through most of it, but at the end he raises his head, eyes full of understanding and quiet defeat. He nods slowly while he packs away his piccolo. When he gets  
up off the couch he kisses the top of my head so softly I almost don't feel it, but I know he hopes I do, and I reach up and hug him tightly. He hugs me back and I can feel his body trembling.  
"Tell Alex I'm sorry," Tom offers as he walks out the door.  
"Me, too." I say, so softly he almost might not hear it. Only, I hope he does.

Alex's POV

"Ok, I realize this line is even cheesier than Tom's, but that SO wasn't what it looked like." Charlie slides into my room and squeezes the door shut behind him.  
"Thanks for knocking you twat; I was just about to start getting changed." I mutter, sitting down on the side of my bed.  
"Wish I had known, I would have barged in a little later," He shoots me a cheeky grin, and I almost forgive him for what I just saw. Almost.  
"What the fuck was that, by the way?" I ask him, quite a bit calmer than I expected.  
"I can explain," And he does. He tells me everything that had happened, and how he doesn't feel the same way about Tom, but he does have feelings for me. I half believe him, but I decide to let him squirm a bit. He's cute when he's uncomfortable.  
I looked away casually. "I mean, last night didn't have to mean anything to you, but you moved on so quickly, I mean-"  
"No, it did.."  
"Did what?" I push.  
"It… It did mean something. To me. It did." He says in a soft voice. And in an even softer voice, I challenge Charlie:

"Then prove it."


	4. Charlie Proves It

**Next part coming soon! Enjoy :)**

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Still Alex's POV

I watch calmly as Charlie takes a few gentle steps over to the bed until he is standing over me. I never realized how much I wanted him until this moment. Wordlessly he pushes me back slowly onto the bed and climbs on top of me. He straddles me with his knees then contorts his skinny torso in order to bend down and kiss me on the lips. I kiss him back and move a hand up to feel under his shirt, but he whips it back onto the bed, pinning it there. I giggle out of surprise and it's muffled by his lips. I try to use my other hand. He pins that one back too.  
"Come on," I mutter, half annoyed, half amused.  
"You told me to prove it," Charlie manages quickly, "so I'm proving it." He goes back to kissing me and I let him have some control. The pace quickens a bit. His tongue invades my mouth and takes up any room there was in there. He massages my tongue and it makes me hard. He must feel it under his jeans and beneath my towel because he laughs wickedly and grinds his body against me. I gasp and the pleasure throws my head back and I close my eyes, which is why it's such a surprise when I feel a sharp pinch on my right nipple. I look up to see Charlie's mop of brown hair bobbing slightly.  
"I never knew that could feel so g- God, so good..." I breathe. He responds by grinding into me again. This time I can feel he's as hard as I am. I squirm under him, enjoying the feel of his warm mouth all over my chest, his lips leaving kisses and his teeth leaving marks.  
"Ow!" I gasp after he bites me on the side of my stomach. He smiles  
unapologetically. I decide to teach him a lesson. It's surprisingly easy to throw him off of me, and in one swift move I have Charlie pinned now to the bed. This only makes him smile bigger, and looking down I realize why; my towel has fallen off. I feel it's a bit unfair to be completely exposed and he's fully clothed so I tug off his t-shirt and start nipping at his neck. He makes soft sighs at that and it drives me crazy. I try once grinding into him but his jeans hurt too much.  
"I'm getting you out of those pants," I inform him, but before I can start on the zipper he's already wiggled out of them. I laugh out loud, "Really? Doctor Who underwear?"  
"You're just jealous," Charlie says, smirking.  
"Yeah." I answer before pressing my body flat against his. The feel of  
his naked body completely on mine is wonderful and unexpected. I grind into him again while he bites at my neck.

"Nnggh" he says, which I interpret as, 'take off my underwear." so I do. I'm sitting up after I take them off. We stop for a second and Charlie smiles at me. We just sit and smile at each other, absorbing the view of each other's bodies. Then Charlie asks a very good question.  
"Do you have, uh...? You know..." It isn't really a question, but I understand what he means; Condoms.

"Shit, no." I answer.


	5. I've been with a guy before, you know

"Do you have, uh... You know..." It isn't really a question, but I understand what he means. Condoms.

"Shit, no." I answer. "There's still stuff we can do, though." Charlie gives me a questioning look. What an innocent little boy. "I think I'll just show you," I say to him, and I push his shoulder back so he's leaning on the pillows, half sitting half lying down. I kiss my way down his stomach, looking up at his face between every kiss. When I get to his treasure trail of hair, I follow it down. I take him in my mouth all at once and his hips buck from surprise. I start sucking, creating a bit of pressure. He holds my head with both his hands, making little breathy sounds. I can't take it and I have to touch myself. I bob my head in time with my hand. My other hand massages Charlie's stomach. Soon his hips squirm quicker and his gasps become louder. He spills out into my mouth and I swallow. I look up at Charlie, lying there breathless. "Holy shit," gasps Charlie, "where did you learn to do that?"  
"It's a secret," I offer, but when I see his persevering expression, I tell him, "I've been with a guy before, you know."  
"Ooh! Who?" Charlie sits up to face me.  
"Now that really is a secret." I tell him, readjusting. I try to hint at my hard cock but he ignores my hand motions and keeps staring me right in the eyes.  
"Who was it?" He repeats. "I'm withholding sex until you tell me." I chuckle quietly.  
" We have no condoms anyway" I point out.  
"Doesn't change the fact that you're still hard," Charlie mutters in a sexy voice, making me squirm. I can't help but touch myself. I grab Charlie's hand and direct it towards my cock but he pulls it away, shaking his head with a smile on his gorgeous lips. "Now, Alex," he teases," if you really want me, then I guess you'll just have to prove it."  
I look down at my hand around my own cock. I'm desperate for his touch, but if I have to touch myself for him to touch me then I'll do it. I'll do anything, really. I close my eyes and slide my hand slowly down and up my own cock, moaning deeply. I feel Charlie shift his weight on the bed and peek to see what he's doing. He has uncrossed his legs and is now sucking on two of his fingers, getting them wet. I close my eyes again and keep stroking, pretending it is his hand and not mine. But now I don't have to pretend anymore that he's touching me because I feel a cold wet finger pinching my nipple softly and then harder, which makes me gasp and squirm suddenly, but I don't open my eyes. "Charlie," I breathe, stroking more quickly. I feel myself about to climax as I stroke faster and faster but before I'm about to come, I feel a hand slap my own away. I open my eyes. "What the hell?" I ask a bit annoyed. But then I realize maybe Charlie is ready to take over. Yes. He slides his hand across my stomach, letting  
it glide over my sensitive cock, just barely touching it. I whimper involuntarily and Charlie chuckles.  
"You little slut," he jokes. I bite my lips and look at him pleadingly. I'm so hard right now. I just need him to touch me. His hand answers my prayers as it wraps around me and strokes slowly. I'm already worked up and I feel like I'm about to come any second. He flicks the head of my cock. My breath hitches.

"Charlie," I breathe, "If you don't stop I'm gonna come."  
He tightens his grip. "Why would I want to stop?" He says, but he gets the idea. His hand loosens and releases me. But in a second I feel his tongue lick my cock from base to tip. Then he swallows me whole. His warm mouth feels so good. I don't last long before I come. He swallows. We lean back against the bed rest, naked and breathless.  
"This was fun," Charlie says between breaths. "We should do it again some time."


	6. Tom Comes Back

Alex's POV

My hands fumble with the keys to my apartment door, eager to unlock it and find a restless Charlie inside, just waiting for something to do. Incidentally, I've just returned from a quick run to the pharmacy while Charlie was busily editing to buy some essentials, i.e. condoms.

"Oh, honey! I'm hooome!" I yell as I swing the door shut with my leg. Throwing the paper bag absently onto the kitchen counter, I head to the couch to await my knight in shining armor. What I get instead is something entirely different.

"Tom? What are you doing here?" he comes around the back of the couch and leans on it's top, looking down at me. "And more importantly, how did you get in?"  
"Charlie let me in. He had to duck out for a bit, said he was going to the pharmacy for some essentials." Tom smiled pleasantly down at me.  
"So I hear you two are a couple."  
"Yeah, I heard you heard," I answer angrily. Tom steps around to the front of the couch, but doesn't sit down. He just stands across from me leaving distance between us.

"Look," he says, "No reason to be mad at me about it. I didn't know Charlie and you were together so I didn't move in on him to make you jealous or anything." I look up calmly at him, reading his face carefully to judge the truth behind his words. He thinks he can make me jealous.  
"A lot has changed since that night, Tom. I thought that you've moved on."  
He looks away. "That's what I was trying to do with Charlie, but it seems you've beat me to it."  
"Do you think I'm with Charlie to make you jealous?" I ask Tom, now curious. I see him think for a moment as he treads over to the kitchen.

"I see you've already been to the pharmacy. What's in the bag?" he asks.  
"Nothing, just some stuff we needed." I rise from the couch and  
attempt to hide the bag but he is already unrolling the top. "Tom, it's just-"  
"Condoms?" He laughs, pulling out a pack of Trojan Large. "I think you're giving yourself too much credit, Alex."  
"Well I though Charlie might want to use some too," I shoot back, immediately regretting the remark I used just to make him jealous. Tom steps closer to me, fingering the small black box he has now in his hands.

"You don't ever think about that night? Not ever?" he looks at me through a curtain of blue hair.  
"Sure I think about it, Tom. I just- I was afraid, back then; of what it meant." I take a step back as Tom keeps taking steps forward. "You're not afraid anymore, are you?" He continues to step closer until I have no steps back to take and my body bumps gently against the apartment wall. He takes one more step closer so that I can feel his slow breath on my face. I close my eyes; I feel myself growing weaker just from his smell; the same way that night had smelled.  
I whisper, "No," my eyes still closed. I feel his soft lips on mine and the kiss is sweet. I want to slip my tongue into his warm mouth but instead I push his chest away. "I- I can't, Tom." I look for his eyes but they have disappeared behind his hair. "I'm with Charlie now." He retreats, stumbling over the sofa and throwing the box that he had up until now held in his hands on the kitchen table. Before leaving he looks back.

"If I see Charlie I'll tell him he doesn't need those essentials. He has everything he needs right here." He opens the door. "I always knew you'd make a good boyfriend. I just thought it would be for me."


	7. He Cheated On You

Would guys kill me if I made Tom into a bad guy?

Alex POV

"Honey, I'm hooome!"

Shit.

I hear the door slam and before I know it Charlie flops down beside me on the couch, just moments after Tom has left. "Hey," he greets me with a warm kiss. Then, backing away from my face, his own takes on a questioning look. "Is something wrong? You look upset."

"No, no," I speak quickly, kissing him back, "I'm fine. At least I am now that you're here." But as we embrace I begin to compare his kiss with the fleeting one I shared with Tom just moments before. I note how easily my tongue slips into Charlie's mouth and how I couldn't do the same with Tom, and how much I wish I could have. As I run a hand through my flat mate's floppy brown hair I can't help but notice how Tom's is a little bit longer, and I keep my eyes closed so I can imagine the hair I am running my hand through is the colour of the electric blue flames of a burning hot fire.

But then Charlie puts his warm hand around the nape of my neck and rubs slowly, hitting a spot that makes me hold him tighter and kiss him deeper, and I immediately regret fantasizing about Tom while holding Charlie. _'I'm not with Tom, I'm with Charlie_,' I tell myself, 'and that's because I like Charlie, not Tom.' And as I say it I realize it's true. I like Charlie. I really like Charlie. So I start to try and show Charlie just how much I like him. As I start sucking on his neck he throws his head back and loses his balance, falling back on the couch cushions and I follow after him.

I'm about to slip a hand under his shirt he jumps off the couch, teasing me with a wag of his finger. He hops over to the kitchen counter where the pharmacy bag lies, already knowing what is in it.

"Did you make a trip to the pharmacy? I was just there! What did you get?" As if he doesn't know. His eyes fall on the box that lies where Tom left it, on the kitchen table. "Oh, Alex, you naughty boy! I was going to buy some, but I chickened out." he reaches for the box when I realize, to my horror, that it is already open. Tom: he must have snuck one, or maybe more, while he was holding it. Unfortunately Charlie notices it too.

"Um, what? Why is it open already?"  
"I was making sure they were big enough," I say quickly, saving myself from anymore questions. He giggles, bringing the box over.

"Well I'm pretty sure they're all the same size… so if one fit you," he tosses the empty box at me," you didn't have to try the rest of them on." 

Mother fucker.

**CHARLIE POV****  
**  
I sit on the couch absently playing with the empty box of Trojans. With nothing to distract me I am alone with my thoughts; what I could have been doing right now if Alex hadn't suspiciously used all of the condoms. Instead of Alex going back to the pharmacy, I could be having my first time with my first boyfriend, the first person I've ever really been attracted to.

Other than Amy Pond, of course. 

But no, Alex had to use all of the condoms. Which is weird. What was he using all those condoms for? I beg my mind not to stray towards the only rational answer, when just then I am literally saved by the bell, or more the buzzer of my apartment. Thank God, it must be Alex. I'm so ready for him.

I unlock the door without a word and hop back on the couch, undoing my jeans and pulling down my underwear to save time after all the time we lost with the many trips to the pharmacy. He takes his sweet time coming up the stairs, and I tenderly rub myself with the same detachment I afforded the box of Trojans while I keep an eye on the door. It's only slightly awkward when the door opened and it wasn't Alex.

"Holy shit, Alex wasn't joking about needing Trojan large," Tom says, swinging the door shut and leaning against it with a look of amazement, his soft pink lips falling into the shape of and 'O'.

"Shit, Tom, I thought you were Alex!"

"Nice to see you too," Tom jokes, seemingly unfazed by the fact that I'm completely naked as he walks up to the couch. I grab my shirt in an attempt to cover up my erection. He stands in front of the couch and inspects me, making my heartbeat quicken. 

"I'm sure Alex will be back soon. He just dipped out to the pharmacy to pick up some more condoms. He, um... ran out." I eye him curiously, "How do you know about that?" He doesn't answer me.

"Tom?" I sit up, forgetting how completely naked I am. "There's  
something you're not telling me. Spill it."

He shakes his head stubbornly. "Trust me; I think you'd rather not know." I throw my shirt down when I get up from my seat, stepping up to Tom so we're face to face. I'm pissed now, starting to suspect what he has to say.

"Tom, you better tell me," I feel my breath bounce off his cheek as I stare him down, "How did Alex run out?" Tom chuckles a bit, disregarding the fact that I'm completely pissed. He smiles slightly as he speaks.

"Alex ran out... because he used them all on me."

I push Tom hard and he stumbles over the coffee table, tripping and falling to the floor. He grabs me as he falls and I tumble down to the floor too. I get on top of him and in my jealous anger raise a fist in the air. He catches it before I can throw a punch. "Now, now, Charlie, don't get all huffy. We didn't use ALL of them. I saved one. For me and you."  
"What makes you think I'd ever sleep with you?" I nearly spit at him.  
"I can see it in your eyes. Even now, when you're so upset, we both know who you really want." I pull my fist away, but I don't get up off of him. "I would never  
cheat on Alex."  
"Why not? He cheated on you." Tom chuckles softly. "All I'm saying is, I definitely didn't have to force him." That pisses me off and this time my fist swings too fast for Tom to catch and it connects with his face. He flips me off of him and pins my shoulders to the ground. I struggle but he's surprisingly strong and manages to hold me down. A little drop of blood falls from his lip and lands on my bare chest. 

He looks wildly into my eyes, but his voice comes out much calmer than I expect. "He cheated on you. You should get a chance too."


	8. The First Cut is the Deepest

**Just a REALLY quick update because I know I've been torturing some of my readers by leaving this story so long. :D please forgive, I just wasn't sure what turn the story should take, but now I think I've got that figured out. ****  
****Enjoy!**

_'He cheated on you. You should get a chance too.' __  
_  
A knock at the door distracts me from Tom's penetrating glare. "Alex," I breathe out, hoping it's him, but knowing it isn't because he has a key, and he would have just let himself in. Just then I hear a muffled voice from beyond the door.  
"Charlie? Can you let me in? I can't find my keys."  
"Alex!" I almost yell.  
Tom reaches into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out the keys to my apartment. "Found them," he says with a smile. When the hell? How did he-

Now I realize Tom is no longer pinning one of my hands down so I use the opportunity to flip him off of me and run for the door. Just as soon as I get up though, he pushes me back over the coffee table. My head hits the glass edge on my way down. My cheek is badly cut and it won't stop bleeding. Tom looks at me; he can't believe what he's just done.

"Charlie? What the hell was that noise? Are you okay?" Alex shouts from the hall. I am stunned; I sit holding my cheek as the blood leaks through my fingers and drips onto the floor. Alex continues his pounding. Tom looks toward me, then toward the door. He takes a step toward me, then turns and takes a step toward the door.  
"I'm so sorry, Charlie," Tom manages to say before running for the door. He swings it open and passes a worried Alex, never saying another word, never looking back.

"Charlie? What the hell, mate, are you okay?" Alex realizes pretty immediately that this is a dumb question since I am obviously not okay. I thank him for not judging me on the fact that I'm completely naked and Tom just ran out of our apartment. My flatmate is more worried about my face than the unusual scene he walked into when he passed through the door.

Alex tries moving my hand away from my face. I resist at first. Then Alex gets really close to my face and whispers, 'Just let me see,". This calms me down a little, which I definitely needed. I let him move my hand away.  
"It's not that bad," he tells me, but his voice is shaking and the blood is flowing and I know he's just trying to keep me from freaking out completely. Somehow his voice, even if it sounds how I feel, is enough to calm me down. I try to apologize once again for the cicumstances of the accident but he just waves it off. "You'll explain later, when we're both calmer. For now, I think we'll bring you to the hospital," his voice is still shaking but he tries to deliver his sentence casually, "just to take a look, Charlie. I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks."

He helps me up, and I slide into the clothes I threw on the floor earlier this afternoon. Everything I touch gets stained red, and then I see that Alex's sweatshirt has spots of blood on it as well. He doesn't seem to mind that much, he just holds me as close as possible as we stumble toward the door.


	9. A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

**I hope you guys like this chapter! Please review and enjoy!**

Three hours and twelve stitches later, Charlie and I share a somewhat awkward cab ride back to our apartment.

"It really wasn't what it looked like," Charlie mumbles, looking down at his hands.

I don't know what to say to this. I just nod slowly, even though I know he isn't looking.

Just like the wait in the emergency room, the ride home is relatively silent. We walk into our apartment and see everything stained red; the couch, the carpet, the table and even the door. Neither of us want to be reminded of the events of today. We go to our separate rooms.

I flop down on my bed, my thoughts dull and my body numb. I can't even begin to think about what I witnessed a few hours ago. All I know how to feel is betrayed. Seeing a naked Charlie lying on the floor of our flat with an obviously hard Tom rushing from the scene was definitely suspicious. What had they been doing before I walked in? How far did they get? Did I still have a chance to be Charlie's first?

All these thoughts race through my mind too quickly for me to process them. I turn over on my bed. My heart aches. I was so happy just this morning. Then Tom came, and everything I had long ago felt for him was reignited with the simply sweet pressure of his lips on mine. But I knew I was with Charlie. So I pushed Tom away. Only to have Tom pull Charlie closer. How can I ever forgive them?

The incessant noise inside my head is enough to drive me mad. It's a wonder how I was able to hear Charlie crying softly from behind his bedroom doors.

"Charlie?" I hesitantly push open his door, only to find him in the same exact position on his own bed that I was in a few moments ago. His face is streaked with tears. One tear slides down along the row of stitches on his cheek, making the tears turn red. I take a few steps and lower myself onto his bed.

"I know you're mad at me. It just-" Charlie gasps for air, his sobbing getting more intense, "It just wasn't what it looks like. You just have to- you just have to trust me!"

Seeing him this miserable brings tears to my own eyes. My voice comes out choked. "How can I trust you after what I saw?" Despite the aching pain in my chest and the hurt that he's caused me, something makes my hand reach out to wipe away the red tear on his cheek. I wait for him to explain. I owe him at least that.

"He told me... how you ran out of condoms." Charlie looks up at me with huge sad eyes. I stare back, confused.

"...and how did Tom propose I ran out of condoms?"

"He said you two used them all..." Charlie looks down shyly.

My whole body tenses with anger. "That's a bloody lie!" I almost yell, making a fist and punching the mattress. This makes Charlie flinch and I immediately regret it.

"Charlie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to- to scare you..." I lean in closer and push his hair from his face where it is falling over the stitches. They are puffy and swollen. I want to kiss them and make them fade away. I want us to be ok again.

"Charlie, you need to know that what Tom said about the condoms was a lie. Probably, he lied about a lot of things. But if I'm going to have you trust me on that, I should tell you the truth about some things." I pause. The words are harder to say than I thought. Charlie looks up expectantly. "Tom and I, a long time ago we..." I start but my words trail off. How do I put this? However, from the look on Charlie's face, it looks like I don't have to finish. "We didn't want things to get awkward between all of us, so we tried to keep it a secret." Then, just to get it off my chest, I tell Charlie what happened while he was out at the pharmacy.

Charlie doesn't seem sad or even surprised. "I always felt something between you two. I never understood what it was but I always felt left out of it. Now it all makes so much sense."

"You're not upset that I kissed him?" I say.

"He kissed you. I'm not going to get mad at you because you can't smother all your feelings for him. I still want to be with you. And I trust that you still want to be with me, which is why you have to believe me when I say that nothing happened between us." Charlie rushes to say all this, as if I'm going to interrupt at any moment. Instead of responding to him, I lean in and, as softly as I can, I place a gentle kiss in the middle of the wound on his cheek. I feel him breathe in and instinctively pull away, but I wrap an arm around his back and keep him in place as I let my lips brush past his cheek, then his mouth, then fall along his neck. I breathe him in before whispering, "Nothing you could tell me would make me stop wanting to be with you."

"Same here. Let's just forget about today. As hard as he'll try, he can't stop this from happening." Charlie answers back.

"Well, he did take all the condoms though..." We giggle together. It feels amazing.

"What about your drawer full of condoms? Unless that's actually a myth" Charlie implores.

"You know it's not a myth; it's just... they're all ribbed... Or flavoured..." Charlie laughs when I blush.

"So?"

"I didn't want to overwhelm you on your first time," I smile shyly.

"Pshh!" Charlie looks offended, "I think I can handle it!"

"I'll be right back!" I run to my room and blindly grab a handful of condoms before rushing back. "I brought one ribbed, one strawberry/mango flavour, and one glow-in-the-dark; which one should we try?" I ask Charlie, throwing them at him on the bed before hopping on myself.

"You mean, which one should we try... first?"


End file.
